Stalker
by Marict
Summary: The story of a father caught by combine, and a son stuck in revolution.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1; Citadel 11

There he lay, strapped onto a table, his rebel uniform still glistening in the artificial glow of the metal around him. Victor was unaware of what had happened. To him, the world had frozen; right when he saw the door to his hideout burst open. A mechanical arm descended on him and took out a needle. The arm moved closer onto him as the needle pressed itself into Victor's skin.

His eyes shot open. At first he did not understand, he had just been in his hideout staring out the window onto City 11, now he stared upright into strong beams of light coupled around him. A screen in front of him flickered on.

It was doctor Breen.

"Breen, what the hell are you here for?" Victor spat out into the emotionless face. Soon he realized it was a prerecorded message. In response to his outburst the rubber flaps around his body tightened.

"Welcome. I am Doctor Breen. Administrator of City 17." Breen said expressionless in Victors face.

"You have been sentenced to – order- 1 -5 -7 -8" Breen said in a prerecorded manner.

"You still have a chance –Victor Manino-. You can redeem your charges by enrolling into our combine reformatory office. If you wish to take this offer, press the bright red button to the left of you." The robotic Breen smiled as a countdown appeared on the screen.

Victor starred at the button. He knew behind Breen's friendly gabber was a fiendish goal. He'd rather be sent on any tortcher Breen was expecting of on him instead of becoming a transhuman. Never. Victor looked around the place. Small shafts of light streamed through strong metal bares, robots ran from every corner of the place. His bed was on a balcony covered by a window. Victor knew where he was. The citadel of City 11, he must've been caught, but how? In his confusion the timer ran out. There was a short screech of metal and the straps around his body painfully tightened on his chest. He cried out in pain, but it was to late. He wriggled helplessly in his rubber prison. "Time's up." Breen said lightly into his ear. "Times up Mr. Manino."


	2. Chapter 2, 'MISSING'

Chapter 2; Missing

Chapter 2; Missing.

"What? What do you mean he's missing?" Nick shouted into the radio.

"We _need_ him for the war council, this was planned a week ago and your father is not showing up." A stronger voice buffed back through the radio.

"I don't know what the hell my father does, can- can you call me back I'm busy." Nick shoveled some paper towels into his knapsack.

"Your father is not late like this and you agreed to inform us if anything happens to him-!" Nick turned the radio to another channel. It was another Alfred speech. Nick had gotten sick and tired of the constant blabber of Alf city 11's administrator. Nick and rest of the rebels knew perfectly well that Alf bowed his head to Dr. Breen. Of course, his broadcasts of "Humanity is at risk, we must aid the combine." Filled most of the stations now, apparently chewing away at what's left of human ignorance.

Nick put his grocery bag down. The rations dispenser was out.

"God damn machine!" Nick threw his fist at the robot. He quickly drew his fist back, not realizing how strong the metal was. Nick knew the rebels were not going to fill the machine back up until Monday. He shuddered at the thought of more baloney sandwiches.

Nick sat down and looked at the sewer. "This is my home." He grimly thought to himself. "My home for the rest of eternity."

The radio started to stutter.

"I-I-I- A- m –All—f-red--." Nick starred quizzically at the radio. "Now the intercoms breaking up. Will the mechanics fix this stuff?" Nick pounded the radio. "Number 4-2-7-." A metro cop voice echoed through the speakers. "Woa, this thing must be picking up combine outpost signals, wait till the guys hear was I've found!" Nick said to himself picking up the radio and the grocery bag. He intently listened as he carried the bag away from the dispenser. "Order-1 5 7 8 pickup up on civilian Victor." The metro cop said.

Victor Manino, that was… His father?

Nick dropped the radio and the groceries on the sewer cement. The radio burst open with a loud snap then fizzed out as it hit the sewer water. "Order 1578" Nick stammered. He knew what 1578 meant. He had looked at combine reports and studied them. He knew what they did to people, but he never thought... his father might be one of them. "Oh my god" Nick screamed, "What have I done?"

Nick started to run back home. His heart beat faster then ever and his eyes began to burn under guilt. "I should've listened to them!" His thoughts raced faster and faster. He arrived at the hideout to find the doors busted open. He ran inside.

Blood streaked the walls and his prized table he crafted himself was broken in half with signs of struggle. And worst of all, his dad was gone.

"This can't be happening" A voice screamed in his ear. Tears ran down his eyes and his blood pumped through his veins in a riveting screech.

He felt like running all the way to the citadel and ripping the mechanical brains from every combine he saw. Nick scrambled to his phone in the other room. Quickly punched in some numbers, and yelled a password into a receivers ear.

Mark picked up.

"Nick? What the hell man you know I'm working right now… Nick, NICK!" Mark growled into the phone.

"Mark… I think my dads in trouble.

"What?

Mark sat up in his chair. Gun bullets spilled all over his floor.

"Oh looked, you made me spill the bullets al-"

"Mark listen to me! I think they caught my dad. You gotta, I- don't know what to do." Tears swelled in Nick's eyes.

"Caught your dad? You're not joking about this are you? Cause if you ar-"

"Just get over, I'm not kidding."

"Nick if your fathers been caught-"

"What?"

"OH you idiot!"

"What did I do?" Nick stammered over sobs.

"You know what combine do, they tap phone lines. They probably know right now-." Mark paused. "Get off the phone, meet at the place at the time NOW." And Nick heard the phone get dropped on the floor.

Ever since Nick had joined the rebels he knew a code. There were three secret meeting places, and four meeting times, while somebody was saying to "Meet at the place at the time" Depending on there pitch when they said the word depended on the place. Mark had said it deeply. Nick knew where to go.

Nick's sadness turned to logic and he headed out the door.


	3. Chapter 3 The Remaking

Chapter 3; The Remaking

Breen's face flickered on and off as a large arm took the screen back up into the walls of the citadel.

"This is the end." Victor thought blissfully as the straps tightened and his head jolted downwards to face his body. Tears fell from his eyes as his metal bed was lifted up to face a beaming light. The metal around him reflected his image as another needle, similar to the first, descended upon him. This needle was the first anesthetic, the drug would start to cut off nerves and veins, and the only difference from normal anesthetics was that the nerves would never come back.

A huge pain erupted over his face. He cried but his lungs were being crushed under the rubber flaps. Suddenly the pain stopped. Blood dripped down his chest, but Victor could not feel it. More needles come through his skin to his heart. The needles carrying more poisonous drugs altering his DNA with every dose. Victor's stomach rippled as his body tried to fight the drugs, but it was in vain. His teeth loosened and his hair started to fall off. He tried to yell, but he couldn't. Victor's body was shutting off; he couldn't feel his legs as they started to shrink from fluid seeping from their needle holes.

Victor thought about his son. If he'd live through this. What he would think of his father dieing. Victor cursed himself for being a fool of talking on a tapped phone, of forgetting his knowledge of security. And even now as his body started to die and fall apart he thought about his family. He felt as though his mother was right there near his face with her silky red hair dangling over his eyes. Telling him what a good job he did on building his first machine.

He tried to reach out and hold her hand so she could lift him off his metal bed. But he couldn't feel his hands. He couldn't even cry. He couldn't do anything but watch in vein as she disappeared. He felt bestial, his human nature taking over, his thoughts cleared.

A menacing looking saw climbed upward on his skin. The surgery began. The blade twisted around to face his eyes. Blood sprang everywhere coating his surroundings in a fiendish red. He knew he was gone now. But how long did it take to kill him? Shouldn't they be done with the deed already? Red was streaming out of his mouth and his nose was leeching blood too. All the while the hacking tools were upon him and the needles pressing in and his life and body seeking away into flab.

Then it stopped.

And the tools came up dripped with gore. And one long and thick needle came down from the mess of fluids. The last needle being the thing that separated human from stalker, "The thought eraser" The needle came towards Victor's forehead and as it eased its way through his skin, his memories started to crumble. At first he forgot what had happened yesterday, he could fondly remember planning a war meeting with the council, now it was blurry, he forgot what the council was, when it was planned. His thoughts exploded over his mind, a headache throbbed, he became confused, and all the while having the needle press farther into his mind.

He forgot where he was, information rushed from him, he forgot his math, his algebra, the rebel password. He lost the ability to speak, as his mind fluttered around in an uncontrollable state. And finally the needle came out, brain fluid dripping from its core. Then, like a badge of honor, a large metal mask pulled by two mechanical arms came down onto the brain-dead Victor. The hole the needle made was used for a screw to the mask. That fitted perfectly, destroying what was left of Victor's brain. His body was now a pinkish red, his feet were sawed off, and replaced with sensor stumps, his mind was lost, and his memories were lost…

But his simple and remade brain remembered one thing.

Nick…


End file.
